White Witch


Band members                             Related acts

  line up 1 ()

- Beau Fisher -- drums, bass, vocals

- Ronn Goedert (RIP 2000) -- vocals, percussion

- Buddy Pendergrass (RIP 2003) -- keyboards,  backing vocals

- Bill Peterson -- percussion

- Buddy Richardson -- lead guitar

- Bobby Shea - drums, percussion, backing vocals

- Charlie Souza -- bass, percussion

 

 

- Ron Goedert (solo efforts)

- Noah's Ark   (Buddy Richardson)

- The Outsiders   (Buddy Richardson)

- The Soul Trippers (Buddy Richardson)

- The Tropics

 


 

Genre: rock

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  White Witch

Company: Capricorn

Catalog: CPN-0107

Year: 1972

Country/State: Tampa, Florida

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: SOLD

Catalog ID: SOLD

Price: SOLD

 

I've always wondered how a Tampa, Florida-based, prototype glam/hair band like this came to be signed by Phil Walden's Southern-rock oriented Capricorn Records.  These guys would seem to have had about as much in common with The Allman Brothers, or Marshall Tucker as T. Rex.

 

Having previously played in Noah's Ark, The Outsiders and The Soul Trippers, lead guitarist Buddy Richardson pulled White Witch together in the early 1970s. A series of auditions saw the band gel around the talents of Richardson, bassist Beau Fisher, singer Ronn Goedert, keyboardist Buddy Pendergrass and drummer Bobby Shea.  A steady stream of tours attracted a small cult following and the attraction of Capricorn Records which signed the band even though they lacked any type of management agreement.

 

As long as you're not expecting to hear Allman Brothers-styled jams, musically 1972's cleverly-titled "White Witch" isn't half bad.  With Goedert and Pendergrass responsible for the majority of material, the set's quite diverse, touching on a wide array of genres, including progressive (the weird opener "Parabraham Greeting/Dwellers of the Threshold"), Wet Willie-styled blue-eyed soul ("Help Me Lord"), conventional rock ("Illusion") and even English-styled pop rock ("And I'm Leaving").  Along with the eye shadow, that very diversity is also one of the band's biggest problems.  You simply can't tell what these guys are about.  They try to do a little bit of everything and in the end don't end up particularly impressive at anything.

 

"White Witch" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Parabraham Greeting/Dwellers of the Threshold (instrumental)  (Beau Fisher - Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson - Bobby Shea) - 3:04

2.) Help Me Lord  (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 3L07

3.) Don't Close Your Mind  (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 6:45

4.) You're the One   (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:03

5.) Sleepwalk   (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 4:27

 

(side 2)

1.) Home Grown Girl   (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:05

2.) And I'm Leaving  (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:00

3.) Illusion   (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 5:11

4.) It's So Nice To Be Stoned   (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:54

5.) Have You Ever Thought of Changing?/Jackson   (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:55

6.) The Gift   (Beau Fisher - Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson - Bobby Shea) - 1:45

 

 

use


Genre: rock

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  A Spiritual Greeting

Company: Capricorn

Catalog: CPN-0129

Year: 1974

Country/State: Tampa, Florida

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+

Comments: embossed cover

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 2582

Price: $25.00

 

 

Critics tend to go with the debut, but I'm going to tell you that the band's sophomore album is the one to locate and buy.  Produced by Ron and Howard Albert, 1974's "A Spiritual Greeting" isn't really that different from the debut.  While 'Showdown' and 'Crystallize and Realize' recall the more progressive stuff from the debut), elsewhere the sophomore album's certain more diverse and commercial than the debut.  To my ears the band also sounded more comfortable in the studio with the writing team of Ronn Goedert (note the extra 'n' this time around), Buddy Pendergrass, and Buddy Richardson turning in several highly likeable tunes.  That said, the same strengths and weaknesses found on the debut were similarly present here as well.  As lead singer Goedert's shrill falsetto remained an acquired taste, but the biggest flaw was the fact these guys never settled on a particular style giving the album a chameleon-like quality.  'Auntie Christy / Harlow' sounded like heavy metal, 'Slick Witch' sported a Southern rock feel (and stands as one of the few songs I've ever heard that included the word 'Lollapalooza' in the lyric), 'Auntie Christy' displayed Sabbath-styled metal moves (with a weird religious oriented lyric), 'Walk On' was a great slice of top-40 pop (that should have given the a massive hit, with its interplanetary plotline 'Class of 2000' showcased their Bowie-influenced glam moves, etc., etc.  The end result is hit or miss for me, but there are plenty of folks out there who will argue that these guys were great (they were also apparently a pretty good live act).  

 

"A Spiritual Greeting" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) We'll All Ride High (Money Bag$)   (Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

2.) Slick Witch   ( Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

3.) Walk On   ( Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

4.) Class of 2000   ( Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

 

(side 2)

1.) Showdown   ( Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

2.) Crystallize and Realize   ( Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

3.) Black Widow Lover   ( Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

4.) Auntie Christy / Harlow   ( Ronn Goedert - Buddy Pendergrass - Buddy Richardson) - 

 

Clearly ill-served by their partnership with Capricorn Records, like the debut, their second album did nothing commercially.  (I've seen at least one on line reference that claims unsold copies of the album were recycled and used to press Dickey Betts' debut solo album (which is also available from BadCat).

 

Sadly, Goedert died in 2000.  Diagnosed with cancer, Pendergrass passed away in March, 2003.  He was only 55.

 

r suits that year, Mum's hair was slick, she looked like a

 

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